Liquid Water Reservoir found on Mars An ocean will be filled

There may be a reservoir of liquid water beneath the surface of Mars. This water is estimated to be in the broken igneous rocks present beneath the surface of the planet. Scientists think that an ocean would be filled with this water. These conclusions have been drawn after probing the seismic data received from NASA’s robot InSight lander. Researchers have said that this water present about 7.2 to 12.4 miles (11.5 to 20 kilometers) below the surface of Mars provides favorable conditions for the formation of microbial life, whether we talk in today’s context or the past.

According to NDTV report, this study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It says that the depth at which igneous rocks are present below the surface of Mars is so hot that it can keep water in liquid form. If the depth is less, water will turn into ice.

According to the report, microbial life also exists at a certain depth on Earth. There is also sufficient water in the rocks there.

This information has been obtained from the data of NASA’s InSight lander, which landed on Earth in 2018. The lander collected data about many layers of the planet, from its liquid metal core to mantle and crust. The InSight mission will end in 2022.

Data from InSight revealed that there are deposits of liquid water inside fractured igneous rocks beneath the planet’s outermost layer, i.e. its surface. These rocks are believed to have formed when lava cooled and solidified.

Scientists believe that if that water is extracted, then an ocean of one to two kilometers depth can be formed on the entire surface of Mars. Scientists also believe that initially there must have been water on the surface of Mars. At that time the surface must have been hotter than today. This research can help in finding out the possibilities of life on Mars.